One Dish Dinner – Baked Salsa Chicken

Forgive me for the tardy new recipe post… it’ been a whirlwind kind of month with lots of work, new puppy life and all the in between! Not to mention the official gear up towards… dare I say it… Christmas! I told myself this year I was going to be vigilant and on top of Christmas gifts and to do lists. No, I have not bought a single gift nor have I made my house appear like Santa’s workshop, just give me a few more days… hopefully 🙂 With life buzzing by, it’s easy to get lost in it all and I catch myself hurrying and forgetting the mantra of “live in the moment”, so what can I do to create more time and make the time I do have count? Simple, create a meal where it takes 5 minutes to prep and 40 minutes to bake which = more time with the hubs and pups! So here is a one dish dinner – Baked Salsa Chicken on rice. Easy, simple, minimal ingredients, healthy, delicious and best of all, a time saver!

This recipe came about as I was late for something, probably work and needed to have dinner for my shift and I suppose I’ll leave the husband some food as well. The fridge was bare bones but I had some chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, one bell pepper and I always have some brown rice in the pantry for emergencies. I was feeling slightly lazy and felt that making rice in that moment was too difficult, so I decided to trial a one dish kinda meal, throw it all in and hope for the best! Best friggin idea I’ve had in a while, it all baked together beautifully. The rice soaked up the juice from the salsa and chicken, such a flavor filled meal with such minimal effort, this is happiness! You can make this Baked Salsa Chicken in a giant dish to feed the whole fam or have left overs for a couple of days. Win win!

When I say 5 minutes of prep time, I actually mean it. ALL you have to do for this dish is pour rice, chop cilantro and peppers, season chicken and pour salsa over it all. Pop your masterpiece in the oven and go spend your precious time with those that matter to you!

So now that I have left overs and don’ have to cook constantly, time to hit up all the Christmas Markets around Calgary! I’m hoping to get the my favorite Spruce Meadows Christmas Market (does sipping on mulled wine while you shop at the coziest market around sound AMAZING to anyone?!) Yes, obviously! The other market that I’ve never actually been too, but I frequent it a lot in the summers, is the Saskatoon Berry Farm Christmas Market, I’ll let you know what I think of it! Can’t wait for yummy eats, locally made gifts, stocking stuffers and the spirit of Christmas to hit me square in the face. What are your favorite Christmas Markets around Calgary, let me know!

Alright back to this Baked Salsa Chicken! Here is what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (chicken thighs work great as well)

1 cup of your favorite salsa

1 Orange bell pepper – cut into strips

1/2 cup brown rice or rice of your choice (if you are using brown rice, I recommend the quick cook brown rice)

Add chicken breasts on top of rice, season chicken with salt, chili powder and pepper.

Throw strips of bell pepper around chicken, pour water/chicken stock into dish then top off the dish with salsa.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until rice is soft and chicken is baked through.

YUMMY!

So there you have it, A Baked Salsa Chicken recipe that I’ve created for you to perhaps free up some of your time to either relax, spend with loved ones or who am I kidding… get something else done that I am behind on… Christmas shopping and decorating here I come! Hope you enjoy this quick and delicious one dish recipe! Enjoy the last couple weeks of November everyone! Xoxo